August 7, 2001  As the remnants
of Tropical Storm Barry made the final stop along its soggy trail
in Alabama on Tuesday, other parts of the nation continued to
wilt under blistering temperatures and dangerously high heat
indices. NOAA's National Weather
Service issued heat advisories from the Dakotas to New York
City and South Carolina, warning residents to take precaution
against the heat. (Click NOAA image to see latest heat index
outlook.)

"It's summer in America,
and that means it's going to get hot," said Donald Wernly,
a meteorologist at National
Weather Service headquarters just outside of Washington,
D.C. "Heat-related deaths are the leading cause of weather
fatalities in the country, and everyone must take the heat warnings
seriously."

Forecasters expect the heat
to continue through Friday, when a cold front from Canada will
push away some of the heat in the upper Midwest, New England
and Mid-Atlantic states. However, states in the lower Plainssuch
as Oklahomaand Texas further south will continue to bake.

In Minnesota, "It's every
bit as bad as we'd want it," said Craig Edwards, meteorologist-in-charge
of the National Weather
Service Twin Cities Forecast Office in Chanhassen. For five
consecutive days, the state has been smothered by a suffocating
heat wave. "It's been hard to catch your breath outside,"
he added. "But to their credit," Edwards said, "Minnesotans
have heeded the heat warnings, and slowed down their outdoor
activity."

In New York City, where the
stubborn heat mass has slowly crept, the heat index made the
temperatures feel like 105 degrees on Tuesday. Michael Wyllie,
meteorologist-in-charge of the forecast office in Upton, said
"this is the longest heat spell here in a couple of years."
The Upton Forecast Office is tapped into New York City's special
emergency operations, and is providing critical weather support
to city officials. "It's getting dangerous out there,"
Wyllie said, adding the area's only relief may come through spotty
thunderstorms later in the week.

Science Behind The Heat
A broad dome of high pressure over the Plains, eastward to the
Mid-Atlantic states has brought prolonged periods of sweltering,
dangerous heat across huge portions of the nation.

"These are the dog days
of August, so we can expect additional heat spells," Wernly
said.

Bye-Bye Barry
Meanwhile, the remnants of Barry brought heavy rains to parts
of Alabama, triggering minor urban floods. What was left of the
2001 Hurricane season's second-named storm fizzled after it reached
the Mississippi border.

NOAA Forecasters will update
the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season outlook on Thursday.